Enslaved by Possessions

So who wants to be held hostage by your possessions?  I think no one!  No one enjoys worrying 24/7, whether the silk covered sofa will survive another day. 
What about the white carpeting? (I’m enough of a stress case, that would put me way over the edge!) 
The kids, the dog, the sun- oh my!

If you’re like me (I need to think someone is), you yell at your kids enough.  Some days more than enough.  Why add unnecessary things to yell about (silk sofa, for example).  We do have rules in our house, all food stays in the kitchen or dining room, no arts and crafts in the living room and NO SPORTS in the house. Other than that we are pretty lax (the house is drip dry)- my kids have lived with beautiful things all their lives and have a healthy respect for them (read: fear of me) as long as most of the stuff in our house is more carefree.

The things kids, dogs, and in my case messy husband, tend to stay clear of are: Window treatments, light fixtures, art, mirrors, accessories on mantles (occasionally on tables) and case goods (side tables,bookcases,secretary's,sideboards etc.).  These are areas where I can have my Interior Design fun and splurge.
With all this said, to keep stress to a minimum and not sacrifice style, here are some areas where you should consider going almost industrial: Coffee tables, carpets and upholstered furniture.

Coffee tables

These vital pieces should not be so precious that you can’t put your feet on them, my advise is to look for something upholstered (ottoman with tray), weathered, painted (you can always repaint), metal and defiantly distressed.  Wear and tear on distressed furniture only adds character but a scratch on a slick piano finish table – it’s ruined!  Don’t set yourself up for constant care and militant discipline of your family if you’re not that type of person. This is also a piece that does not need to “match” the other tables- it should be interesting- have fun with it.  Even if you already have polished wood just accept that you will have to refinish and let it go- Live!

Carpets

1. Sea grass- durable, chic, affordable and can be layered upon with other area rugs like zebra hides or orientals (certainly to hide stains if they occur, but no need admit to that motivation).  It also looks great and takes on character when worn. 
2.  Another work horse is hand-knotted, 100% wool carpets.  The more pattern the better, but stay away from adding silk to the pattern (cleaning nightmare).  These carpets have been getting the job done for hundreds, if not thousands of years.  Literally, you can’t kill-em. 
3.  My last suggestion is something for traditionally more casual spaces –  (However I used really fun ones in my formal foyer- LOVE THEM) they are Flor carpet tiles.  We live in New England so there’s always mud, snow, rain, etc. (plus I have two dogs in addition to my kids) and these carpet tiles kick serous New England Butt!  You can even pull one up and wash it in the sink- really!  I chose a great texture and colors and threw them under formal antiques and love the playfulness.

Upholstered furniture

The big one - sofas , chairs, ottomans etc.… these get major abuse!  Some hints to help are:
1) SLIPCOVERS that can be washed- ok really this one is huge and has saved my house.  Slipcovers are no longer big sloppy loose, baggy sacks over furniture, but tight beautifully made covers that fit like gloves.  You may not even be able to tell that something is slip covered anymore.  This may seem crazy but the real work-horse of slip cover fabric is pure white denim or linen.  It can not only be washed but bleached as well (think of the possibilities).  If you used yellow or green or blue you can wash but we all know some stains just don’t come out- UNLESS you can bleach it.  If you plan to wash your slipcovers please be sure to wash and dry the fabric prior to having them made in order to pre- shrink it.  There is nothing worse than slip covers not fitting after washing.

(country living)
2) Leather!  Leather is so great and if already slightly distressed it will only take on more character when used.  You can wipe offending spills and dirt right off and dog hair doesn't stick- hooray!

3)Other fabric options some more and/or less expensive and fab than others: wool mohair (you can find antique chairs with the original wool mohair still intact- seriously tough and deliciously fabulous stuff), Toray Ultra suede (the real ultra suede- not the cheap micro suede version) and finally some manufacturers are introducing indoor outdoor fabrics that are finally not like sand paper- these do the job incredibly well.

(Ryan Korban)
When I grew up my parents didn't decorate the way people do today and I dreamt of the beautiful house in which I would someday live.  I love beautiful things and need spaces that are visually appealing to mostly adults but not at the cost of my kids and dogs not sharing them with me.  Keep some things easy care and go fabulously nuts with the rest without the stress of being held hostage by your things.

Museum Room

Did you grow up in a house with a museum room?

      

Any of these rooms look familiar to you
A room that no kid was allowed to visit unattended.  A room that your parents only used when company came.

Talk about useless real estate- seriously was your house so big that you could give up an entire room to guests you want to impress???  While we’re talking useless real estate then lets mention the McMansion.  If we had any intention to continue with the Mcmansion concept then we could also perpetuate the museum room, there is more than enough room and wasted space in the run of the mill McMansion’s to leave completely unused rooms for company. I’m not sure what’s more ridiculous - the McMansion or the museum room. Are we so insecure that we save a chunk of real estate in our houses for what others think- Really?
What would company think if there was a stain on the living room sofa from years of use or wear marks on the coffee table where our feet were- Oh god, they might think we put our feet on the furniture, how low class! Seriously speaking, what would happen- would the other mom’s at school talk behind your back, get kicked out of the country club, not get that promotion at work???  In this day in age- repeat after me- USE your house- every inch of it!!!  Really use it!!!  Let the kids live like you value them being part of the family more than what your company might think, drink red wine in every room, put your feet on whatever is going to make you most comfortable. What’s the worst thing that could happen- you spill (that’s what Oxyclean is for) or you wear a piece of furniture so much that eventually it needs reupholstering or refinishing? Seriously- who the F%$k cares at least you lived fully in YOUR house that YOU worked hard to pay for. Isn’t that what working like a dog to afford this house and it’s contents is all about- living!
Coming soon – a post on how to create a formal space that doesn’t make us slaves to our possessions.

The Drip Dry House

My Grandmother Alice was a very fancy woman. She bought the best in quality and fine detailing (really, she was a hideous snob!). Some/most of the fancy things she was drawn to would be totally impractical to most but she existed around her things, not really using them.  When I was a kid she used to wear these tailored, smart looking (at the time), belted ultra suede dresses in the most fabulous colors (With coordinating jewelry, of course).   According to the Met in New York this very dress was perhaps Halston's greatest commercial dressmaking success in the 1970's. (See photo of lilac dress from the Metropolitan museum).  I remember she had this dress in Navy, Coral, Aqua, Purple and Kelly Green (many had matching coats, hats, bags and shoes).  The best part of this dress was that it went into the washer and dryer.  I remember baking with her and she spilled some batter on the dress (the navy one), I said “Oh no Grandma what should we do you spilled”- her reply was “not to worry dear it’s drip dry!”.  This was amazing to me that something of grandma's (oh woman of fancy living) had anything that was this fabulous and DRIP DRY- REALLY!!!.  When we went to visit her house you had to be on best behavior (the fear of breaking or staining anything was crippling).
I remember temporarily liking the feeling of being in her house, like a fancy princess in a castle of priceless treasures.  For about a minute- then I had to be a kid again- in our house at home where (unfortunately) NOTHING was fancy-except in the museum room (we all grew up with a room like that).  Everything was shop worn and/or chosen for kid proofing or extreme comfort.  I have thought about this drip dry concept a lot in my life.  I now have little kids, two dogs and a sloppy husband and I need this drip dry but fabulous concept in my whole life- not just my wardrobe.  The fact that my very cerebral/professional parents never really cared how our house was decorated or looked for that matter has forced me into a life of constant craving for visual fabulousness.  I am caught somewhere between their practical, relaxed no nonsense ways and my Grandmother's impractical fancy formal style.  I have been asked many times what my personal style is, and I always say “traditional on acid” but maybe I should add “fabulous and drip dry”.